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Detectives said raids in London and Manchester led to jail time for a "key member" of an online phishing gang which targeted students across the UK.

My officers worked doggedly to secure Onikoyi’s conviction. They examined numerous leads to identify members of this phishing gang, of which Onikoyi was a key member.

He played a significant role in the scam by systematically targeting British students and UK financial institutions in order to steal large amounts of money that were then dispersed across numerous bank accounts.

We've had a number of bank accounts and properties connected to Onikoyi restrained under the Proceeds of Crime Act. This is now subject to a financial investigation.

A conman who targeted hundreds of UK students in a sophisticated phishing scam that used their compromised data to steal more than £1.5 million has been jailed for three years and nine months.

Olajide Onikoyi, 29, has been jailed. Credit: Met Police

Olajide Onikoyi, 29, a Nigerian national of Blackley, Manchester was among a number of cyber criminals who targeted students. They sent them emails inviting them to update details on their student loan account via a link to a bogus website.

Detectives raided addresses in London and Manchester in December last year, seizing computers to identify Onikoyi’s involvement. In June last year, Amos Njoroge Mwangi, 27, of Deptford was sentenced to four years in jail for fraud convictions.